What are you doing with homebrew today?

I've done both. As long as you have 1.040 OG on the starter, you should be good to go.
 
I'll need to implement some water saving tactics during brew day
Ice, ice baby! Then use the hot spoils for cleaning! I don't pay for my water but brewing with a well forces one to manage your resources.

Congratulations on the competition too!
 
Do you just add DME/sugar if it’s low or dilute it if it’s high? This is starting to sound like something to try.
I make up a starter wort with DME to get 1.040. Pitch, shake well, cover loosely with some foil and wait 24 hours.

I actually have (and use) a stir plate, which keeps the yeast in suspension and introduces oxygen. Nice but not required.

This process makes lousy, oxidized and off-flavor beer, but the goal of increasing both yeast cell count and health is met. I pour off most of the liquid after letting it settle a while.

No temperature control. Kinda like simple cider: wort, yeast and time. An erlenmeyer flask is an ideal vessel - if you buy one, get a 2 liter, which fits one liter comfortably.
 
Brewing my Festbier today. Invited 2 friends over to help. They’ll be at my Joshtoberfest to drink the. Finished product so I thought this would be cool. One of them brews with me occasionally the other just started brewing on his own a few months ago n
 
I make up a starter wort with DME to get 1.040. Pitch, shake well, cover loosely with some foil and wait 24 hours.

I actually have (and use) a stir plate, which keeps the yeast in suspension and introduces oxygen. Nice but not required.

This process makes lousy, oxidized and off-flavor beer, but the goal of increasing both yeast cell count and health is met. I pour off most of the liquid after letting it settle a while.

No temperature control. Kinda like simple cider: wort, yeast and time. An erlenmeyer flask is an ideal vessel - if you buy one, get a 2 liter, which fits one liter comfortably.
Exactly what I have, 2L Erlingmeyer, and I’ve done starters before. I was more asking what to do if I decide to no-chill and use some of the wort to make a starter. Easy enough to cool down a liter or so while the rest cools down. If my wort is lower than 1.040 (or higher) should I adjust to put it at 1.040 or just leave it as is because the starter is going to get dumped back into the batch it came from, which may not be (most likely) at 1.040. That should avoid any dilution of the batch, and O2 saturation is exactly what you want for the pitch. No need to drain off the’beer’ from the starter then. Just stir it up and pour it back in.
 
Thanks, Josh :) I'm nervous about my first brew in the new space. I think I'll need some longer hoses for sure (the sink is across from the stove rather than next to it). I've also been privileged to not pay for water the last 2 years! That will also be a new challenge, and I'll need to implement some water saving tactics during brew day :)
My water is stupid cheap as long as I don't run any irrigation. I always forget how lucky I am in that respect.
 
Good brew day. Efficiency was a little higher than I accounted for, I assumed a 1.056 beer would be less efficient than my usual 1.045. Oh well extra Festbier it is! Step mash and a decoction with 90% Pilsner will do that I guess. Down to 65f. Will pitch a shit load of slurry when it gets below 60.
 
Bottled my Lemon Farmhouse. 750ml bottles. Dry hopped with a smidge of Nelson Sauvin and Citra.

IMG_1959.jpeg
 

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